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Open Innovation Magazine

In this issue:Data-Driven Leadership: A Conversation with Governor Martin O'Malley, Encourage Open Data with a System That Doesn't Discourage Openness, Where's the ROI? Demonstrating the ROI of Your Open Data Initiative, Data-Driven Disaster Management: A New Era

World Bank

As part of their efforts to improve the lives of people in developing areas, the World Bank organizes the collection and distribution of money around the world. This complicated effort leaves them with piles of financial information that the public wants to see. Using Socrata’s DataSlate, the World Bank has created an attractive page for each of their more than 200 member countries. The pages show seven pieces of financial information per country, such as loans and grants, using a templated approach for optimal efficiency.

Governor O’Malley’s Team Leads a Citizen Engagement Revolution Pioneering, innovative and ahead of their peers – the team in Governor O’Malley’s office in Maryland created one of the first and most impactful open data portals by any government agency. Credited with improving public school outcomes, healthcare availability and crime fighting efforts, Maryland’s GovStat site is […]

Open Data, a World Language Few places in the world have as much history, culture, and beauty as the Region of Lombardia, Italy. With the first localized Open Data site utilizing the Socrata Open Data Platform TM in the world, the people of Lombardy can continue to experience their rich culture while simultaneously benefiting from […]

Cook County Leads with Transparency The Cook County Open Data Site transformed Cook County into a world leader of transparency while adding an additional measure of accountability to its citizens. In a short amount of time, Cook County was able to achieve a comprehensive data-sharing platform allowing for agencies, citizens and developers to utilize the […]

First-ever Data Convergence Cloud The City of Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois created the first-ever data convergence cloud by combing to create a single Open Data Portal for easier access by residents and businesses. This groundbreaking initiative connects the three existing Open Data programs at each organization, into a unified, citizen-centric experience. […]

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in south east Australia, home to Australia's capital city Canberra, not only makes vast stores of government data available to the public, it does so through multiple portals. A long-time leader in open data efforts, ACT has given citizens many ways to view and analyze data, as well as share it with each other and provide feedback to the government about their performance. They even have a roadmap written with their plans in place for an even more transparent and productive government of the future.

Chicago Metro

The City of Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois created the first-ever data convergence cloud by combing to create a single Open Data Portal for easier access by residents and businesses. This groundbreaking initiative connects the three existing Open Data programs at each organization, into a unified, citizen-centric experience. Residents are now able to find, explore and share online resource, across jurisdictional boundaries, using a single web interface, based on common themes, such as healthcare, public safety, housing and education.

Citizen Integration Center (Monterrey, Mexico)

When Mexico announced its National Digital Strategy, the Citizen Integration Center (CIC) – a non-profit organization in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon – responded by launching its open data portal, data.cic.mx. The portal hosts a growing number of datasets from sources such as government, academia, and non-profit organizations. All of the datasets are easily accessible, machine-readable, and […]

City of Austin (TX)

As part of a website refresh, the City of Austin, TX embarked on an initiative to deploy a world-class Open Data Portal alongside their new Drupal-based website. The Socrata Open Data PlatformTM allowed data.austintexas.gov to maintain the look and feel of their new website while providing a seamless end-user experience. The City of Austin was then able to utilize their new cloud-based Open Data Portal in conjunction with the services of Code for America to encourage innovation and civic engagement.

City of Baltimore (MD)

A successful Open Data initiative accomplishes more than publishing data, it transforms how a city thinks about and manages its resources. With the launch of OpenBaltimore, the City of Baltimore achieved greater efficiencies by combining data from 21 different government agencies into a single Open Data portal. Data.Baltimorecity.Gov now contains 300 datasets that enable city leaders and residents to access key data for solving some of the city's most pressing issues.

City of Boston (MA)

On-Demand Webinar Financial Transparency Trailblazers: NYC and Boston New York City is a pioneer in the financial transparency movement. Boston is on the precipice of increased financial openness. We sit down with NYC and Boston officials to discuss their financial transparency journeys. Watch Now Featured Dataset Approved Building Permits Powered by Socrata

City of Chicago (IL)

Chicago’s Data Portal 2.0 - The City of Chicago’s Data Portal is dedicated to promoting access to government data and encouraging the development of creative tools to engage and serve Chicago's diverse community. Here you’ll find essential data presented in easy-to-use formats to help Chicagoans keep track of how their government is performing and build innovative applications to benefit residents and visitors alike.

City of De Leon (TX)

How can a city of 2,433 build an Open Data program comparable to cities a thousand times larger? By utilizing the highly-scalable, transformative, Socrata Open Data Cloud. The Socrata Open Data Cloud allows local, state, and federal government organizations of any size to utilize the Socrata Open Data Platform as a cost-effective solution for publishing and managing public data.

City of Edmonton (Alb)

In the Summer of 2011, the City of Edmonton upgraded its first-generation download-only data catalog to a Socrata-powered Open Data Portal. The feedback from citizens, business owners and other stakeholders resulted in a data site that contains up-to-date information in an easily consumable manner. The constituents of Edmonton can now easily access City Council meeting details, city statistics, and the locations of public facilities.

City of New Orleans (LA)

Post-hurricane Katrina, the City of New Orleans began a re-building effort that has transformed every aspect of the city. Via a new Open Data portal, information about blighted properties, demolitions, and inspections can now all be easily accessed by the residents of New Orleans. The newly granted access to city data gives constituents a front-row seat to the daily progress of recovery efforts within the City of New Orleans.

City of New York (NY)

In May of 2011, NYC embarked on a one-of-a-kind initiative to realize the full potential of the city's digital assets by establishing a framework for enhancing resident's digital interactions with the city. The resulting Digital Roadmap outlines the city's commitment to four over-arching goals, among them, Open Government. NYC embraced its commitment to Open Government by publishing large amounts of city data on the Socrata Open Data Platform™ and has subsequently held multiple hackathons. In March of 2012, NYC expanded upon its commitment to Open Data by mandating agencies publish data online.

City of San Francisco (CA)

As the world's first 2.0 City, the City of San Francisco continually innovates new ways of delivering government services. Mayor Lee's commitment to innovation, transparency, and government efficiencies was on full-display when he unveiled the successor to datasf.gov, data.sfgov.org. The new site contains a host of features that increase resident engagement and exploration of city data.

City of Seattle (WA)

In 2010, Seattle launched data.seattle.gov under the leadership of Chief Technology Officer, Bill Schrier, one of GovTech’s 25 “Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers” (2008) and a Computerworld Premier 100 Leader (2010). The website increased public access to high value, machine-readable datasets generated by various departments of Seattle’s City Government. A growing number of businesses and government agencies now use the website to create everyday products and services like the bike rack locator VeloRacks and the construction comparison tool Porch.com.

City of Somerville (MA)

Much thanks to Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s leadership, Somerville is one of the leading users of open data for citizen empowerment. From Somerville’s open data portal, citizens can access status updates on 311 requests (and even get a photo of the progress), the city’s budget for the following year, where rats have been sighted around town, health clinic data, missed garbage can picks ups and much more. Somerville is a small town with a big vision.

City of Wellington (FL)

Located in sunny Palm Beach County, Florida, Wellington prides itself on being a family-oriented town. Besides plentiful parks and an active equestrian scene,what does their formula for fun include? Wellington has created an open data portal with useful facts about recent roof inspections, applications for business licenses, and more so that residents find out how their town is changing, growing, and making the most of all that coastal sunshine.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau seeks to collect, share, and start conversations about data on consumers, financial service providers, and consumer markets. As its website states, "An informed consumer is the first line of defense against abusive practices." CFPB's open data portal contains information about consumer credit card complaints it has received. They can be visualized on maps, seen by type in bar graphs and more.

Cook County (IL)

The Cook County Open Data Site transformed Cook County into a world leader of transparency while adding an additional measure of accountability to its citizens. In a short amount of time, Cook County was able to achieve a comprehensive data-sharing platform allowing for agencies, citizens and developers to utilize the same web-standards in use by the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. Over 200 datasets are now easily accesible by Cook County residents.

Health System Measurement Project

How healthy is it to share health information? Ask the innovative team at The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services. To increase public awareness on a number of health indicators, they have created an open data portal called the Health System Measurement Project that tracks government data on key U.S. health system indicators, such as estimated numbers of young adults with health insurance coverage, percentage of employers offering health insurance by firm size, and other fascinating data.

King County (WA)

The King County Open Data Initiative started with the goal of publishing the most requested information online. The result was a pioneering use case for Open Data. The King County Open Data Portal now hosts vital information for elections; allowing constituents to locate the nearest ballot drop-box, view election calendars, and review election results. As a result, the residents of King County now participate in a more transparent and accountable government.

Lehman College

What would you like to know about the Bronx? The closest farmers market, public school quality ratings or demographics of county residents by zip code – all of this information (and more) is now provided by Lehman College’s “Lehman Community Project” using their Bronx Information Portal. The portal, powered by Socrata, focuses on maps of publicly available data from the City of New York. What’s the point? A stronger Bronx community.

Medicare

Data.Medicare.Gov was the first federal Open Data site to offer a rich interactive experience for exploring data online. It is a resource for the public, health policy researchers and the media to access data about important health related topics, such as Hospital Compare, Dialysis Facilities, Home Health Agencies, Nursing Homes and Medical Equipment Suppliers.

Montgomery County (MD)

The Montgomery County Open Data Portal provides residents with unparalleled access to county data covering many topics. The potential of this data was most recently demonstrated during the 2012 election, when voters who were eager to find information on the locations of early voting centers drove large amounts of traffic to the Montgomery County Open Data Portal. This resulted in increased engagement and transparency during the 2012 elections.

New York City Comptroller

The New York City Comptroller, John C. Liu, took a unique approach to delivering financial services for city employees. By placing detailed information about the New York City Retirement System online, New York City has bridged the gap between fragmented internal data silos that previously limited access to public data, in the process creating a healthy ecosystem for transparency and accountability. New York City is now able to benefit from a friction-less environment between employees and important financial information.

Regione Lombardia (Italy)

Few places in the world have as much history, culture, and beauty as the Region of Lombardia, Italy. With the first localized Open Data site utilizing the Socrata Open Data Platform TM in the world, the people of Lombardia can continue to experience their rich culture while simultaneously benefiting from a world-class Open Data Portal in their native language. Browse dati.lombardia.it and you will find a impressive collection of captivating datasets.

Republic of Kenya

Opendata.go.ke is part of a national effort, led by the Ministry of Information and Communications, to create enabling infrastructure that can accelerate human and economic development throughout communities in Kenya. The site provides ordinary Kenyans, the research community, and software developers with unprecedented access to high-quality, high-impact datasets covering spending, budget, location of key infrastructure, availability of community services and various datasets from the 2009 census. Data is provided by various participating ministries as well as the World Bank.

State of Colorado

In an effort to modernize aging infrastructure, the State of Colorado has taken a new approach to delivering government services. Replacing the status quo is an innovative approach to Open Data that involves minimizing redundancies between agencies and creating a central shared repository for sharing government data. As outlined in the White Paper, Citizen Engagement Platform, state CIO Kristen Russell and state CTO Sherri Hammons have defined Open Data as a cornerstone for their new approach to delivering government services.

State of Illinois

The State of Illinois Open Data site is an integral part of the Illinois Innovation Council’s plan to promote economic growth through innovation and the engagement of citizens, developers, academia and industry. Currently the site hosts data from multiple state agencies as well as federated data from Data.Gov. In total, this site presents a powerful tool for innovators to create value-added assets utilizing data from data.illinois.gov.

State of Maryland

Pioneering, innovative and ahead of their peers – the team in Governor O’Malley’s office in Maryland created one of the first and most impactful open data portals by any government agency. Credited with improving public school outcomes, healthcare availability and crime fighting efforts, Maryland’s GovStat site is a model for other agencies that want to use open data to improve citizens’ lives.

State of Missouri

The State of Missouri continues to fulfill its motto as the “Show Me” state with the launch of data.mo.gov. Residents of Missouri can now benefit from a unified search experience across multiple state agencies and departments, while browsing fully-interactive online datasets. The new site contains information on local severe weather stations as well as state expenditure data.

State of Oklahoma

Data.OK.gov is part of the “Oklahoma Information Services Act,” which will consolidate information, saving the user from having to travel to multiple websites. The website’s mission is to provide a platform that allows the public and the media to digest, evaluate, and consume data in an interactive, user-friendly format. Accessible information on the site includes data about the economy, public health, transportation, the environment, and more.

State of Oregon

Pioneering comes naturally to Oregonians. Oregon was one of the first states to offer its citizens a fully-interactive online experience to explore the State’s public data. Oregon went farther than any other state in leveraging the Socrata Open Data Platform™ to modernize how its agencies share and publish data cost-effectively.

State of Washington

The State of Washington is known for great coffee, apples, and now, open data. As the home to many pioneering companies, it is no surprise that the State of Washington was one of the first states in the country to adopt an Open Data Portal. Located at data.wa.gov, the site contains multiple population-related visualizations, statistics on wildlife preservation, and information about Washington State congressional districts.

Strathcona County (Alb)

Set in the middle of Alberta’s energy and agricultural heartland, Strathcona County is a mixture of urban area, small hamlets, and farmland. To build on its economic strength and to power the success of its citizens, the County launched its open data portal in 2014 with the goals of increasing transparency, advancing community engagement, and improving service efficiency.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The United Nations Development Programme empowers developing countries with the resources and skills to improve the lives of their constituents. It only makes sense that their financial data does the same. The information on data.undp.org provides a searchable and filterable data-warehouse for insight into the progress of developing countries around the world.

World Bank

As part of their efforts to improve the lives of people in developing areas, the World Bank organizes the collection and distribution of money around the world. This complicated effort leaves them with piles of financial information that the public wants to see. Using Socrata’s DataSlate, the World Bank has created an attractive page for each of their more than 200 member countries. The pages show seven pieces of financial information per country, such as loans and grants, using a templated approach for optimal efficiency.